Composite phosphate coatings

ABSTRACT

A method for providing composite phosphate conversion crystal coating, including the steps of: mixing powdered materials with metal oxide particles, thereby providing a composite metal oxide powder including particles of at least one additional powdered material, the at least one additional powdered material providing additional functionality to the phosphate conversion crystal coating; pretreating a substrate by depositing particles of the composite metal oxide powder on the substrate; treating the substrate with a phosphate coating solution, resulting in the composite phosphate conversion crystal coating forming on the substrate which contains fixed particles of the at least one additional powdered material.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a method and system for providingcomposite phosphate coating.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Phosphating is used in the metalworking industry to treat substrateslike iron, steel, galvanized steel, aluminum, copper, and magnesium andits alloys, mainly as a base for paints, organic and inorganic coatingsto increase corrosion resistance and paint and coatings adhesion.Alternatively or additionally, in case of the coatings with drylubricants, the phosphating is used for wear resistance, seizingprevention, low friction application etc. The cold forming of steelwould not be economically feasible without phosphating as a lubrifyingfilm. Other applications include providing temporary corrosionresistance for unpainted metal and electrical resistance.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The innovative composite coatings may not only to improve significantlythe above properties, in comparison to regular phosphate coatings, butalso allow for the design of a wide range of composite phosphatecoatings with very unique properties. Regular phosphate coatings cannotprovide these unique properties.

There is disclosed herein the newest generation of phosphate coatings,namely composite phosphate coatings. With composite phosphate coatingsthe phosphate compounds are presented as a matrix with added particlesof different powdered materials which are fixed in the matrix. Suchcoatings provide the regular properties of known, non-composite coatingswith additional functional properties. The nature of the additionalfunctional properties depend on the types of added powdered materialsand the properties of the particulate materials.

The innovative methods for forming the phosphate composite coatings andenhanced functionality of the resulting coatings are exemplarilyillustrated below in the discussion of an exemplary Zinc-Zinc Phosphatecomposite coating (alternatively referred to as composite Zinc-ZincPhosphate crystal coating).

According to the present invention there is provided a method forproviding composite phosphate conversion crystal coating, the methodincluding the steps of: mixing powdered materials with metal oxideparticles, thereby providing a composite metal oxide powder includingparticles of at least one additional powdered material, the at least oneadditional powdered material providing additional functionality to thephosphate conversion crystal coating; pretreating a substrate bydepositing particles of the composite metal oxide powder on thesubstrate; treating the substrate with a phosphate coating solution,resulting in the composite phosphate conversion crystal coating formingon the substrate which contains fixed particles of the at least oneadditional powdered material.

According to further features in preferred embodiments of the inventiondescribed below the metal oxide particles are selected from the groupcomprising: CaO, ZnO, MnO, NiO, FeO and combinations thereof.

According to still further features in the described preferredembodiments a mixture of the metal oxide and the at least one additionalpowdered material are deposited on the substrate in a quantity ofbetween 0.5 and 100 g/m2.

According to further features a largest dimension of any of the metaloxide particles is less than 2 μm.

According to further features a largest dimension of any particles ofthe at least one additional powdered material is less than 10 μm.

According to further features the phosphate coating solution comprisesphosphates selected from the group comprising: Zinc Phosphates,Manganese Phosphates, Calcium Phosphates and mixtures thereof; whereinthe phosphate coating solution is devoid of any additional commoncomponents used in legacy phosphate coating process, the commoncomponents selected from the group comprising: alkalis, nitric acid,nitric acid salts, phosphate coatings crystals refining materials.

In cases where the added powdered materials particles are no wetted byphosphate coating solution suitable Surfactants are added with a valueof up to 3 mass %. The suitable type of surfactant and its concentrationin phosphate coating solutions have to be found experimentally for eachkind of the additional powdered material. According to further featuresthe phosphate coating solutions further comprise surfactants forincreased wettability. According to further features the surfactantshave a value of up to 3% mass.

According to further features the phosphate coating solution comprisingZinc Phosphates reacts with the metal oxide particles at a temperatureof up to 35° C.

According to further features the phosphate coating solution comprisingManganese Phosphates reacts with the metal oxide particles at atemperature of up to 70° C. According to further features the phosphatecoating solution has a pH range of between 2.2 and 2.7. According tofurther features the phosphate coating solution has a phosphate densityof between 1.03 and 1.08 kg/l.

Definitions and Nomenclature

It is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is for thepurpose of describing particular exemplary embodiments only, and is notintended to be limiting in any fashion, and in particular with respectto the doctrine of equivalents.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientificterms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by oneof ordinary skill in the art to which this inventive concept belongs. Itwill be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonlyused dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that isconsistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art andwill not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unlessexpressly so defined herein.

The following terms, phrases and nomenclature are defined for clarity.Unless defined otherwise, all technical terms used herein have the samemeaning as commonly understood by one skilled in the art to which thissubject matter belongs.

As used herein, the term “phosphating” and variations thereof refers tosurface pretreatment used on ferrous or aluminum parts that provides avery thin crystalline film that enhances both corrosion resistance andadhesion.

As used herein, the term “phosphate coating solution” refers to asolution of phosphoric acid and phosphate salts.

As used herein, the term “phosphate coating” refers to a coating formedfrom a phosphate coating solution. The name of the phosphate coating isper the metal used in the phosphate coating solution. For example: ZincPhosphate coating is formed from a Zinc Phosphate coating solution.

As used herein, the term “composite material” (also called a“composition material” or shortened to the commonly used name“composite”) refers a material made from two or more constituentmaterials with significantly different physical or chemical propertiesthat, when combined, produce a material with characteristics differentfrom the individual components.

As used herein, the term “composite coating” refers to the coating madefrom the composite material.

As used herein, the term “phosphate composite coating” refers to acoating material formed from phosphates, which are used as a matrix, andto which particles of one or more other materials is added.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various embodiments are herein described, by way of example only, withreference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a flow diagram of an exemplary process for forming andapplying a composite Zinc phosphate crystal coating;

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of a second exemplary embodiment of theinnovative process;

FIG. 3 is an SEM image of the composite phosphate crystal coating on thesurface of a carbon steel plate;

FIG. 4 is an image of two sample plates with Zinc-Zinc Phosphatecomposite coating after eight hours in the NSS chamber

FIG. 5 is an image of a test sample after the adhered member has beenpulled off a carbon steel plate coated with an innovative compositephosphate coating;

FIG. 6 is an SEM image of the composite MoS₂-Zinc-Zinc phosphatecoating;

FIG. 7 is an SEM image of the surface of the composite coating;

FIG. 8 is an image of low alloy steel stamped parts coated with coloredZinc Phosphate coatings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The description below relates primarily to Zinc Phosphate and compositeZinc-Zinc Phosphate crystal coating. It is made clear that theaforementioned compounds and coatings, as well as other compounds andcoatings that are detailed herein are merely exemplary and not intendedto be limiting in any way. As such, the principles of the presentinvention encompass all relevant compounds and compositions as may beemployed by one skilled in the art in view of the following description.

Zinc and other known crystalline Phosphate Conversion coatings maycontain a number of different phosphate compounds. The composition ofthe phosphate coatings is influenced by a number of factors, such as,for example, the method of application (e.g. spray or dip), the degreeof agitation of the bath, the bath chemistry, bath temperature, the typeand quantity of the accelerator as well as the presence of other metalions in the bath solution. The crystals of the phosphate coating containthe main metal of the phosphate salt used in the phosphate coatingsolution, but in some cases may also comprise one or more additionalelements.

In general, Zinc coatings are used for corrosion protection of iron andiron alloys as sacrificial coatings. There is presently disclosed anexemplary composite coating containing Zinc and a Zinc Phosphate matrix.The combination of the Zinc Phosphate matrix, together with thesacrificial corrosion protection characteristic of the Zinc particlesthat are included in the solution, provide better corrosion protectionproperties than regular Zinc Phosphate conversion crystal coatings. Thesame principles can be employed with Manganese Phosphate, IronPhosphate, Calcium Phosphate and all other types of phosphate coatings.

The composite coating may be further used as a base for additionalcoatings, topcoats and paints.

General Procedure for Forming the Innovative Coating:

-   1. A metal part is pretreated with Zinc powder particles which    adhere, or are made to adhere to the surface of the metal substrate.-   2. Following the pretreatment of the part with Zinc powder, the part    is treated with a Zinc Phosphate coating solution.-   3. The metal elements in the Zinc powder particles deposited on the    surface of the metal part react with the solution and Zinc Phosphate    coating is formed on the substrate and on the Zinc particles as    well, resulting in the creation of a complete Zinc Phosphate crystal    conversion coating.

The Phosphate layer that forms on the surface also holds the Zinc powderparticles on the substrate surface, thereby forming a composite coatingthat contains metallic Zinc particles in the permanent Zinc Phosphatecoating layer (i.e. the coating includes an additional buffer of Zincpowder particles between the Zinc phosphate coating and the substrate).

The main issue for discussion is the deposition of Zinc powder particleson the surfaces of the treated parts, before commencing the phosphatingoperation. In preferred embodiments, the particle size of the Zincpowder is from 0.5 μm to 20 μm. In more preferred embodiments, thepowder particles are of an optimal particle size for corrosionprotection, which is in a range between 4 and 7 μm. Particles that are20 μm or larger, are generally too big and/or heavy to properly adhereto the substrate surface and therefore the deposited powder particleswill not adhere sufficiently to the substrate. Particles that aresmaller than 0.5 μm almost completely react with the phosphate solution,and as a result, the sacrificial corrosion protection effect is minor asthere is not sufficient Zinc left on the substrate for the desiredcorrosion protection discussed above.

One exemplary technique to improve the adhesiveness of the Zinc powderparticles (of a preferred size) is by coating the Zinc powder particleswith a different, ultrafine, powdered material. By preliminarilydepositing a preferred ultrafine powdered material on the surfaces ofthe Zinc powder particles, a large portion of the Zinc powderedparticles (which are preferably between 4-7 μm in size) will now haveultrafine particles deposited thereon and these ultrafine particlesincrease the adhesiveness of the Zinc powdered particles to the metalsubstrate.

In one preferred embodiment, the ultrafine material is Zinc Oxide (ZnO).Zinc Oxide (ZnO) was found to be an optimal material for theaforementioned purpose, particularly when the Zinc Oxide (ZnO) powderparticles have a size of less than 1 μm. In more preferred embodiments,the ZnO particle size is in a range between approximately 0.20-0.25 μm.This size was found to be optimal from both a technical perspective aswell as an economical perspective. In other embodiments, the ultrafineparticle size is approximately 0.10 μm or 0.05 μm, which are both viablesizes. In still other embodiments, the size of the particles is evensmaller.

One exemplary advantage of coating the Zinc particles with ultrafineZinc Oxide particles is that ZnO is a material that also reacts withPhosphate coating solution to create the same Zinc Phosphate crystals.Another exemplary advantage is that by using the ZnO material to reactwith the Phosphate solution the unwanted reaction of the metallic Zincpowder particles is minimized, thereby increasing the amount of metallicZinc remaining in the final innovative composite coating. Furthermore,ZnO does not add ions of “foreign” materials to Zinc phosphate solution.In other cases where different materials are used to coat the Zincparticles, the ions of foreign materials (i.e. the materials other thanZnO) collect in the solution and affect the efficacy of the phosphatesolution. Over time the solution becomes unusable and must be thrown outand a new batch of solution prepared. As mentioned, ZnO does not causeinstability in the Zinc phosphate coating solution.

The principles and operation of method and system of phosphate coatingaccording to the present invention may be better understood withreference to the drawings and the accompanying description.

FIG. 1 illustrates a flow diagram of an exemplary process for formingand applying a composite Zinc phosphate crystal coating. The flowdiagram begins at block 100.

Block 110—Before depositing the Zn powder on the metal parts, the Znmetallic powder is thoroughly mixed with ultrafine ZnO powder at a massratio of ZnO:Zn in a range between 1:2-1:10.

At next step—block 120—the pretreated Zn powder is deposited on thesurface of metal part. In preferred embodiments, an aerosol creationtechnology is employed to disperse the powder on the metal part. In apreferred but exemplary embodiment, the aerosol creation technologyemployed is a fluidized bed.

Of course, the metal parts have to be clean of rust, oil and othercontaminants before Zn powder deposition. This step is shown in block115 and indicated to be an optional step by the dashed lines. The stepis optional as it may not be necessary to pre-clean the metal parts. Forexample, newly manufactured part are likely to be free of oil, rust andmost other contaminants.

As indicated in block 130, after the Zn powder deposition, the parts aretreated (e.g. by immersion or spray) with the Zinc Phosphate solution,in order to form the innovative composite Zinc-Zinc Phosphate crystalcoating.

Some exemplary advantages of the immediate innovative method and productinclude the fact that there no special requirements for the ZincPhosphate coating solution chemical composition. Furthermore, there areno special requirements for the Zinc Phosphate coating process.

The method described above for Zinc-Zinc Phosphate coating can belikewise applied to simple Zinc and Manganese phosphate coatings but canalso be applied to form more complicated compositions such as, but notlimited to, Zn—Ca, Zn—Ni, Zn—Mn, etc. as well as more complicatedcompounds.

Phosphates formed from the exemplary phosphate coating solutionsdescribed above, as well as similar phosphate coating solutions, may beused as the matrixes for forming a wide range of composite coatings. Tothis end, the surfaces of the treated parts have to have powdersdeposited thereon of different oxides of metals such as Zinc, Manganese,Calcium, Iron, Nickel and others, and also different powdered materials:metals, alloys, inorganic, organic, organosilicates and any others.

Some examples of such composite coatings include coatings that maycontain zinc additives for improving corrosion protection, molybdenumdisulfide for low friction and different pigments for coloring thecoating. Besides for Zinc, adding metallic powders such as Silicium(Si), Magnesium (Mg), Aluminum (Al) and others increases the corrosionprotection of the coating.

Similarly, additives can be included to improve adhesion of powdered andliquid paints to the coated substrates as well as improving corrosionprotection. Additives can improve adhesion of molded rubber or plasticto the coating of metallic inserts.

Other options for optimization using tailored additives include, but arenot limited to, optimizing electro-magnetic coating parameters,thermo-conductivity, surface tension, surface infra-red radiationemission, increasing or reducing conductivity, introducingnano-particles, sub-nano-particles etc.

The effectiveness of the coatings is such that the coatings increase inthickness, in some cases even up to 100 g/m² or higher. The problem isthat multi-component coatings of this kind have to have enough strengthfor successful operation.

The coating process with the compositions of the present inventioncannot successfully occur with all kinds of additive materials, but onlywith metals and their compounds, which are pickled by the coatingliquid. For example, most of non-metallic and organic materials are notpickled by the phosphate solution and as a result, the phosphate coatingdoes not form on these (non-metallic and organic) surfaces.

On the other hand, non-pickled additive particles may amalgamate/fusewith, or adhere to, pickled additive particles or with the primarydeposited materials, different oxides of metals such as Zinc, Manganese,Calcium, Iron and others, which are used to form the phosphate coating.In such a case—where the non-pickled additive particles amalgamate withthe phosphates formed from pickled particles materials—the resultingcomposite phosphate coating has a strong structure. Therefore, in apreferred embodiment, non-pickled additive particlesamalgamate/join/fuse with pickled additive particles and/or the primarydeposited materials to form a composite phosphate coating with a strongstructure.

Another requirement for the formation of uniform, continuous coatingstructure is a high degree of wettability of the phosphate coatingliquid with the surfaces of the deposited materials. When the wetting isideal, there is a high degree of interaction between the liquid solutionand the surfaces of the deposited materials such that phosphate coatingcrystals are formed on all of the surfaces of the deposited additiveparticles, as well as on the substrate.

Usually, metal and oxide surfaces (i.e. of the deposited materials) arewetted with the phosphate coating liquids. Most organic orsilica-organic materials have a low wettability with such solutions.

When using composite coating additive materials with low wettabilitywith phosphate coating solutions, it is necessary to adapt the solutionwith other kinds of additives and/or suitable surfactants (surfaceactive agents). It is also possible to treat the additive particles withthe surfactants. In some cases it is necessary to use both methods. Assuch, in preferred embodiments, the phosphate coating solution isenhanced with additives and/or surfactants to increase the surfacecontact between the phosphate coating solution and the surfaces ofadditive material particles, the substrate being treated or both. Inother preferred embodiments, the particles of the additive materials aretreated with surfactants. In still other embodiments, the both thesolution and the particles are treated with surfactants and/or additivesthat increase the surface area on the additive particles and/orsubstrate that are in contact with the liquid of the coating solution.

A suitable surfactant may be solid, liquid or gas, and the selection ofthe surfactant is preferably based on the following rules:

1. The surfactant has no noticeable influence on the phosphate liquidproperties, i.e. it does not, for example, reduce the activity of thephosphate liquid, increase the optimal process temperature, etc.

2. The surfactant has no noticeable influence on the formed coatingproperties, such as uniformity, porosity, adhesion, etc.

According to the discussion above, the surfactants need to be solid orliquid materials that are soluble in phosphate coating solutions orliquids. The suitable type of surfactant and the concentration of thesurfactant in the phosphate coating solution has to be foundexperimentally, for each kind of the powdered material with which thetarget part is pretreated.

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of a second exemplary embodiment of theinnovative process. The process starts at Block 200.

At Block 210, suitable powdered components are selected for depositioncoating of the treated parts based on the desired properties of thecoating. The list of components has to include fine “functional” andmetal oxide powders with a grain size of no more than 0.5 μm. The atleast one additional material augments the pretreatment powder. Theresulting mixture or composite mixture is used as a pretreatment for thetarget part.

At Block 220 the dispersion of the powdered “functional” component hasto be optimized for each type of the “functional” materialsindividually, via experimentation. The various powdered components haveto be mixed thoroughly and homogeneously before deposition of themixture on the target substrate.

At optional Block 230 (designated as optional by dashed lines), if it isnecessary to improve wettability of the components deposited by thephosphate coating liquid, then more suitable components must besubstituted and/or the quantities of surfactants must be altered foroptimization, via experimentation.

At Block 240, the prepared mixture of surface modification componentsare deposited on the surface of the target parts before commencing thephosphate coating operation.

At Block 250, the immediate phosphate coating operation is the same asthe regular phosphate coating operation.

The functional, additive materials are selected so provide additionalfunctional properties to the coating. An exemplary, non-exhaustive, listof potential augmentations or added functional properties include:coloring the coating with regular and/or fluorescent pigments (organicand inorganic); improved corrosion protection with additive metallicparticles and/or inhibitors; low friction (for wear resistance) and/orcontrolled friction coefficient (e.g. for high strength bolts, etc.)with adding organic or inorganic particles of dry lubricants orcombinations thereof; increasing or reducing electric conductivity byadding conductive or insulation materials; increasing or reducingthermal conductivity by adding thermo-conductive or thermo-insulationmaterials; electron emission variation; surface electrification;absorption, emission or reflection of different electromagnetic waves,such as infrared, high-frequency or others.

Equipment and Control Methods

In experiments, the following equipment was used:

-   -   1. A fluidized bed aerosol generator was used. The generator        value is ˜0.3 m³ and operation value ˜0.25 m³. The quantity of        modification material varied from 0.1 to 3 kg, for varying        aerosol concentrations. The optimal period for surface        modification of the treated samples was found to be three        minutes.    -   2. The concentration of deposited aerosol particles was measured        by weighing the treated samples before and after deposition. A        semi-analytical scale by Ragway Company, Poland, having an        accuracy of 0.001 g was used for weighing samples.    -   3. The density of the solutions was measured with suitable        hydrometers have an accuracy of 0.01 kg/l.    -   4. The acidity of the solutions was measured with a Milwaukee        pH-meter P-600, by Milwaukee Instruments, Inc., Rocky Mount,        N.C., USA, with glass electrode, having an accuracy of 0.01.    -   5. The phosphate coating thickness on the treated samples was        measured by weighing of the coated samples after coating and        after coating stripping according the MIL-DTL-16232G        specification.    -   6. Corrosion resistance of coatings in neutral salt spray        cabinets was performed according the ASTM B117-02 specification.    -   7. The Pull-Off Strength Test of powder coating was performed        per ASTM D4541 specification with using Type V portable adhesion        tester. Were used the standard dollies 20 mm (0.78 in.) and a 20        kN manual hydraulic tensile adhesion tester GM04/20 kN of DFD®        INSTRUMENTS.    -   8. The static coefficients of friction was measured by the        COFP01 Inclined Surface Coefficient of Friction Tester of        Labthink International, Inc.

Used Materials

-   -   1. Phosphoric acid 85%, food grade, produced by Rotem Ampert        Negev Ltd.    -   2. Zinc oxide, Gold Seal, was supplied by Numinor Chemical        Industries Ltd.    -   3. Zinc powder, UltraPure®, Product Code: NZD UP #6®, was        supplied by Numinor Chemical Industries Ltd.    -   4. Pigments, organic and inorganic, were supplied by Myko        Engineering Ltd.    -   5. Molybdenum Disulfide (MoS₂) powder type T/F, was supplied by        Petrus Chemicals & Materials Ltd.

Degreasing alkali liquid UNICLEAN PT-1000, as a surfactant, supplied byPetrotech Indistries Ltd.

EXEMPLARY APPLICATIONS Example No. 1—Improvement of Corrosion Resistance

Experiments were performed on 60×60×3 mm carbon steel plates. Thesurfaces of five plates were pretreated with Zinc Oxide powder only andthe surfaces of five other plates were treated with a mixture of powdersas follows: 30% (mass) of Zinc Oxide and 70% of metallic Zinc powder.Both kinds of samples were coated in the same Zinc Phosphate coatingliquid at 30° C., for ten minutes.

The Zinc Phosphate conversion coating that formed on the first batch ofsamples (Zinc Oxide pretreatment) had a weight of 14±2 g/m² and met theMIL-DTL-16232G specification requirements for heavy Zinc Phosphatecoating.

The composite Zinc-Zinc phosphate coating that formed on the secondbatch of samples had a weight of 13±2 g/m². The surface of thiscomposite coating was evaluated with a Scanning Electron Microscope(SEM). FIG. 3 is an SEM image of the composite phosphate crystal coatingon the surface of a carbon steel plate. In the image it is possible tosee Metallic Zinc powder particles fixed to composite phosphate coating.

Both types of samples were tested in a neutral salt spray test (NSST)cabinet. The substrate corrosion products were recognized on the sampleswith regular Zinc Phosphate coating after four hours in the chamber (theMIL-DTL-16232G specification requires two hours minimum).

FIG. 4 is an image of two sample plates with Zinc-Zinc Phosphatecomposite coating after eight hours in the NSS chamber. Practically nocorrosion products are visible on the samples, even after being in theNSS chamber for double the amount of time the samples with the regularZinc Phosphate coating were in.

It is therefore clear that the Zinc-Zinc Phosphate composite coatingprovides better corrosion resistance in the NSST cabinet than the ZincPhosphate coating that lacked the additional metallic Zinc particles.

Example No. 2—Pull-Off Strength

Two similar groups of five samples each with Zinc Phosphate andZinc-Zinc Phosphate composite coating were coated with powder coating intwo layers: the first layer epoxy and the upper layer polyester. Thesamples were tested for Pull-Off Strength. FIG. 5 is an image of a testsample after the adhered member has been pulled off the test samplewhich is a carbon steel plate coated with an innovative compositephosphate coating. The adhesion strength is recorded as 19.13 MPa. Thevalue of adhesion for all samples in both groups varied from 19 to 23MPa. In all the tests there was not one single failure at thepaint—coating interface. The conclusion from the tests is that Zinc-ZincPhosphate composite coating has a similar powder paint adhesion rate asZinc Phosphate coating.

Example No. 3—Friction Coefficient Reduction

Experiments were performed on carbon steel discs with 50 mm diameter and6 mm thickness. Surfaces of five discs were pretreated with Zinc oxidepowder only while the surfaces of another five discs were treated with amixture of powders as follows: 45% (mass) of Zinc Oxide and 35% ofmetallic Zinc powder and 20% of Molybdenum Disulfide (MoS₂) powder asdry lubricant. Both sample groups were coated in the same Zinc Phosphatecoating liquid at 30° C. for 10 minutes. 1% (mass) of surfactant wasadded to the phosphate coating liquid. The Zinc Phosphate conversioncoating that formed on the first set of samples (Zinc oxide only) had aweight of 15±2 g/m². The composite MoS₂-Zinc-Zinc phosphate coating thatformed on the second set of samples had a weight of 15±3 g/m². Thesurface of the composite coating was evaluated with Scanning ElectronMicroscope (SEM). FIG. 6 is an SEM image of the composite MoS₂-Zinc-Zincphosphate coating. MoS₂ powder particles can be seen fixed on the Zincphosphate coating.

Both kinds of coated samples were tested for static frictioncoefficient. For Zinc phosphate coating static friction coefficient was0.42±0.05 and the static friction coefficient for the composite coatingwas 0.18±0.03. It is therefore evident that the addition of MoS₂ drylubricant powder significantly reduced the static friction coefficientof the Zinc Phosphate coating.

FIG. 7 is an SEM image of the surface of the composite coating after theabove-mentioned test as examined a second time with the ScanningElectron Microscope (SEM). It is possible to see the MoS₂ powderparticles that were fixed on Zinc phosphate coating were smudged on thesample surface. Smudging, as shown in the image, is a regular phenomenonwith dry lubricants of this type, when dealing with a layered crystalstructure.

Example No. 4—Zinc Phosphate Color Coating

Color pigments, either organic, inorganic or both, may be mixed withZinc Oxide powder. In preferred embodiments, pigments in a range fromabout 3% to 15% (mass) are added, depending on the type of pigment. Thepigment(s) can be added to the pretreatment and/or into the phosphatecoating liquid.

FIG. 8 is an image of low alloy steel stamped parts coated with coloredZinc Phosphate coatings. In the Figure there are three sets of identicalsteel parts, each set from top to bottom includes a tongue piece, acurved piece and a buckle piece. In the original image, the left handset is blue in color, the middle is a red-iron color and the right handset is green. The colored parts are the results of treatment with zincphosphate colored coatings. The inorganic pigments used in thetreatments were: a) Black Iron Oxide Fe₃O₄; b) Red Iron Oxide Fe₂O₃; c)Blue Ultramarine Complex mineral containing small amounts ofpolysulfides; d) Green Chromium (III) Oxide Cr₂O₃.

The organic pigments (insoluble in water) used in the treatments were:a) Red Quinacrodone, C₂₀H₁₂N₂O₂; b) Green Phthalocyanine, a complex ofcopper with chlorinatedphthalocyanine; c) Blue Phthalocyanine, a complexof copper with phthalocyanine. In all cases, as initially shown in theimages, colored Zinc Phosphate coatings were formed.

While the invention has been described with respect to a limited numberof embodiments, it will be appreciated that many variations,modifications and other applications of the invention may be made.Therefore, the claimed invention as recited in the claims that follow isnot limited to the embodiments described herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for providing composite phosphateconversion crystal coating, the method comprising the steps of: mixingpowdered materials with metal oxide particles, thereby providing acomposite metal oxide powder including particles of at least oneadditional powdered material, said at least one additional powderedmaterial providing additional functionality to the phosphate conversioncrystal coating; pretreating a substrate by depositing particles of saidcomposite metal oxide powder on said substrate; treating said substratewith a phosphate coating solution, resulting in the composite phosphateconversion crystal coating forming on said substrate which containsfixed particles of said at least one additional powdered material. 2.The method of claim 1, wherein said metal oxide particles are selectedfrom the group comprising: CaO, ZnO, MnO, NiO, FeO and combinationsthereof.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein a mixture of said metal oxideand said at least one additional powdered material are deposited on saidsubstrate in a quantity of between 0.5 and 100 g/m2.
 4. The method ofclaim 1, wherein a largest dimension of any of said metal oxideparticles is less than 2 μm.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein a largestdimension of any particles of said at least one additional powderedmaterial is less than 10 μm.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein saidphosphate coating solution comprises phosphates selected from the groupcomprising: Zinc Phosphates, Manganese Phosphates, Calcium Phosphatesand mixtures thereof; wherein said phosphate coating solution is devoidof any additional common components used in legacy phosphate coatingprocess, said common components selected from the group comprising:alkalis, nitric acid, nitric acid salts, phosphate coatings crystalsrefining materials.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein said phosphatecoating solutions further comprise surfactants for increasedwettability.
 8. The method of claim 7, wherein said surfactants have avalue of up to 3% mass.
 9. The method of claim 6, wherein said phosphatecoating solution comprising Zinc Phosphates reacts with said metal oxideparticles at a temperature of up to 35° C.
 10. The method of claim 6,wherein said phosphate coating solution comprising Manganese Phosphatesreacts with said metal oxide particles at a temperature of up to 70° C.11. The method of claim 1, wherein said phosphate coating solution has apH range of between 2.2 and 2.7.
 12. The method of claim 1, wherein saidphosphate coating solution has a phosphate density of between 1.03 and1.08 kg/l.